The present invention relates to a scale-shaped filmy fines dispersion. Specifically, for example, the present invention relates to a dispersion containing scaled-shaped and filmy fines of metal such as aluminum in a solvent, which is used as a raw material for a metallic pigment ink for an ink-jet printer, and allows a print exhibiting metallic luster to be achieved by an ink-jet printer.
Conventionally, outdoor advertisements are approaches that have been widely used for such as advertisements of goods and stores. Above all, the approach of developing advertisements using prints has been carried out widely. Posting posters on various places has been most commonly carried out as this outdoor advertisement using prints. This type of outdoor advertisement using posters is an approach seen universally on the street even now. In addition, recently, with improvement in printing technique, even giant-size prints (for example, signboards conventionally drawn by hand) have been used as outdoor advertisements. More specifically, printing is carried out on special paper and the like, and the paper is attached to a board for outdoor display.
The production of these prints, that is, posters, outdoor advertisements, sign displays, POP advertising (Point of purchase advertising), etc. is created in companies, etc. for producing signboards and sign displays, besides various types of printing companies. Furthermore, the production of such prints is also carried out in photographic laboratories, commercial printing companies, etc. However, in recent years, changes in circumstances have been caused, such as a reduction in lot size, quicker delivery, and diversity and complexity in graphical designs. In order to respond to such changes in circumstances, the digitalization of the print creation has been progressed rapidly. In addition, at the same time, a rapid expansion of the market has been observed.
With such changes in circumstances, the differentiation of prints has been demanded strongly. For example, more highly detailed prints have been demanded than contents expressed by normal printing. In addition, prints with details smoothly expressed as much as possible have been demanded. Furthermore, in the case of photographic printing, prints that recreate precision equivalent to that of photographic printing by conventional silver halide photography even to details have been demanded. Therefore, printing capable of such expressions has been demanded. Then, in order to respond to the various requests described above, ink-jet printers for business purposes (hereinafter, simply referred to as “ink-jet printers”) have been often used nowadays.
Moreover, at the same time as the request for highly detailed printing, the demand on printing for exhibiting a high-quality appearance has been also increased. As the best example, the use of metallic luster has been demanded.
Conventionally, transfer foils, so-called gold foils and silver foils, have been widely used for providing the metallic luster in prints. However, situations requiring highly detailed printing as described above are not satisfied by only using the transfer. Therefore, the use of an ink with metallic luster, or an ink using a metallic pigment (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a “metallic pigment ink”), has been demanded for printing. Above all, in ink-jet printers that allow highly detailed printing, demands for using the metallic pigment ink have been increased.
In order to obtain prints exhibiting this metallic luster like a gold or silver foil, the simplest way for printing with a profound effect is printing with a metallic pigment ink prepared from fine pieces of metal with a gold or silver color.
Further, examples of such a metallic pigment ink include inks for ink-jet printers proposed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. These inks are supposed to be used for ink-jet printers, and more specifically, these inks contain flattened pieces of aluminum, gold, silver, or the like of 0.2 μm in thickness.